I Remember
by s. rivers
Summary: A tragic incedent with XANA leaves Odd with a concussion, not remembering anything about what had happened. He struggles to accept the truth about the one thing he cared about dying, and must deal with the past he forgot.
1. Can't leave him

A boy no more then thirteen lay in a hospital bed, breathing lightly and slowly. Beside him sleeps his best friend, who is leaning on the bed. He snores slightly. In one of the corners of the room sleeps a girl in a black dress. Her hair is shoulder length and in her hand she clutches a picture. It is kind of blurry from the rain that is beating on the window outside, but the faces are untouched. They're beauty is isolated forever.

"Ehem," says a doctor dress in white. Ulrich straitens up, yawning.

"Your name is Mr…Stern?" The doctor asks.

Ulrich nodded. "Is he ok?"

"He should be awake in a day, or maybe two. The concussion was sever, and I don't know if he'll remember anything that has happened."

"He…won't?" a blond asked, quietly entering the room.

"I'm afraid not," the doctor replies. He looks the three over. "You should go back to your homes. All he needs is rest."

Ulrich shakes his head. "No. I can't leave him."

Yumi nods in agreement, but Ulrich shakes his head once more. "You and Jeremie look tired. Why don't you go home? I'll be there when I know Odd's parents are coming. I don't want him to wake up alone."

Yumi nods and her and Jeremie make there way to the door. Yumi stops and walks back toward Ulrich. She kisses him on the cheek.

"Thank you, Ulrich," she says smiling and makes her way out of the room.

Ulrich nods and leans back in his chair. He wants to forget what had just happened, what had happened a few hours ago. So he closed his eyes for more sleep.


	2. A white dress

The blond boy shot up. His heart was racing and his eyes are wild. He could feel himself shaking, and the pillows and blankets are wet. Not to mention his shirt is sticking to him.

His name was Odd.

"What the hell?" he shouted. The room is a hospital room, and it is dark. He can trace out the lines of the drops on the window from the rain. It's raining hard. Also, the room is empty.

Odd stands up and nearly fell in an instance. His legs felt like Jell-O.

"Damnit," he says and climbs his way across the floor, avoiding objects as he did. A flash of lightning outside and a burst of thunder made him shiver. Where was he?

The lightning lit up the room like fire and he could see everything. A small light poked out from under a large wooden door. Odd slid himself across the floor.

He apparently couldn't move, or open the door, so he decided to get someone to open it for him.

"Hello?" he called, banging on the door. "I need some help in here."

The door opened slowly, reveling a blond nurse.

"Oh my," she exclaimed at the small boy who was curled up on the ground. "Are you ok?"

"Does it look like it?" Odd demanded. "My head kills."

The nurse scooped him up and set him in bed.

"Why did I have a concussion?" Odd asked. "I mean, how did I get it?"

The nurse, who was tucking him in, sighed. "I don't really know. None of us does. Can I get you anything?"

"Food, that would be a start. Are my parents here?"

The nurse smiled. "I'll check." She switched on the TV and handed him the remote. "I'll be back with your food in a few minutes."

With that, the nurse made her way out of the room. Odd looked around, still confused. His head pounded, and he had a bandage on.

The door opens, and a boy with brown hair walks in.

"Odd!" says the boy and barrels over to him, almost knocking him off the bed.

"What the hell?" Odd shouted. "Who the hell are you! Where are my parents? What the…SHIT!"

Odd's hands flew to his head and he yelled in pain. Then he collapsed on the bed.

Ulrich was stunned for a few moments. He couldn't believe his friend had forgotten him. Or had he.

Then he sprung up and darted out of the room and down the hall, trying to find help.

* * *

"I knew you?" Odd asked as he stared at the people in front of him. Yumi, Jeremie, and Ulrich were sitting on the end of the bed, watching him.

"Do you remember XANA?" Jeremie asked. "Or Aelita?"

"Who is she?" Odd asked. "I feel like I've heard of her before. Oh, and why am I in France?"

"This is too confusing," Ulrich said to Jeremie. "He doesn't remember anything about us, Lyoko, or XANA."

"What's a XANA?" Odd asked.

"Alright, Odd," Yumi said. "What do you remember?"

"I remember California," Odd replied.

"Do you remember Kadic?"

"I've never seen it before, but my mom was going to send me there. Why?"

"Great," Ulrich said. "He's been knocked back two years. Before he even met us, back in seventh grade."

Jeremie nodded. "Anything else?"

Odd stared at the ceiling.

"A white dress," he said quietly. "I remember something about a white dress."


	3. Remembering

Odd walked slowly through the court yard of Kadic Academy. Even though Ulrich, the brown-headed boy, had told him he had lived there for almost two years, he still didn't remember a thing.

Some people stared as he walked by, whispering into their friends ears. Odd glanced at Ulrich who was walking beside him.

"So…is that it?" he asked.

"We covered the swimming pool, the art room, Spanish class, the science building, and the gym. I think so," Ulrich replied. "So ready to see our room?"

"Huh?"

"You're a boarder here, remember?"

"Oh…right," Odd said, embarrassed. He fallowed Ulrich up some stairs and down a hall. Ulrich stopped in front of a room and slowly opened the door.

The room was normal. One long desk filled with pencils, paper, and books and comics. Everything was neat. Two beds were pushed against the wall, a poster of Blink-182 hung over one bed wile a Samurai poster hung over another. Funky pillows were also all over one.

"Do you remember kiwi?" Ulrich asked, walking over to one of the dressers.

"Yeah," Odd replied. "My moms said I couldn't keep him."

Ulrich pulled a small dog out of one of the drawers.

"How?" Odd asked.

Ulrich handed him the dog. "He's yours."

Odd hugged the dog close to him. "I feel like I've missed everything."

"You have, in a way. Now shut up, we have to go to a funeral. Get ready."

"Who died?" Odd asked, setting the dog down.

"A friend of mine," Ulrich replied. He didn't look Odd. "You knew her, before…"

"What happened to me?" Odd asked. "How come I…"

"Not now."

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"Your late," Yumi hissed as she greeted the two at the door. "It's starting."

Ulrich nodded and Yumi lead the two into a large room. Few people where there.

"I can't see her parents," Odd whispered.

"She doesn't have any," Ulrich explained. "Her father died."

Odd nodded.

Ulrich quietly walked up to the casket and knelt down, saying a quiet prayer. Odd watched him as he made the sign of the cross and stood up. He could see small pools of water under his eyes.

Yumi nudged him from behind. "Your turn."

"But I didn't even know her."

"You knew her more then the rest of us," Yumi said.

Odd shrugged and uncomfortably walked up the casket and peered in.

A pink-haired girl laid there. Her skin was milky white and smooth, like petals. Her short pink hair was shining brightly. Her eyes were closed, but they looked they were going to open any minute. She was wearing a beautiful white dress with silver flowers and designs all over it. She had no shoes, making her look like a fairy.

Odd stared at the beautiful pink-haired girl. Something about her seemed so familiar. It was as if he has seen her before, in a dream.

"Odd," Yumi whispered. "Let's go."

At the cemetery, it was raining. The casket that contained the pink-haired girl was lowered slowly into the muddy grave.

Jeremie, who was leaning on Yumi's shoulder crying, made a run for the cars. Yumi fallowed with Ulrich behind her. Some old friends and kids and teachers from school all retreated to their cars. Only two men who with coffee remained to cover the grave.

"Excuse me," Odd said. "What does the grave say?"

"See for yourself," said the man and stepped out of the way. Odd leaned over toward the grave stone.

_Aelita Stones_

_1993-2007_

_We loved her _

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Odd breathed on the cold window, making it foggy. He then drew a smiley face with his fingers. But the face came out wrong, and looked like it was confused. Not smiling.

"I liked you better before," Ulrich said jokingly. He plopped down on his bed, thrusting his textbooks on the ground.

Odd turned to him. "Why?"

Ulrich laughed. "I'm just kidding."

"Did you like me more when I knew you?" Odd asked.

Ulrich shrugged uncomfortably. "You knew more, Odd…I guess. I mean, you used to be so happy. Now you seem confused."

"I _am _confused. I don't get anything you tell me at all."

Ulrich sighed. "You're a different person, Odd," he said slowly. "Your not anything like you were before. Now you seem so quiet."

Odd looked back out the window. Rain fell and covered the soggy courtyard of Kadic. Odd felt himself want to cry, and not for the first time. He shut his eyes and leaned against the cool window.

"Who was that girl?" he asked. "The one in the casket?"

"Aelita Stones," Ulrich said.

"How did I know her?"

Ulrich bit his lip. "You were her best friend."

Odd opened his eyes and stared.

"You loved her."

Hearing that, Odd shot up. "I couldn't of," he said. "If I loved her, I would remember her."

"This has nothing to do with love. It has to do with your concussion."

Odd angrily grabbed one of the textbooks off the bed and threw it. It slammed against the wall, some papers flying out of it. Ulrich backed away.

"I'm sick of people telling me who I was," he hissed. "I don't care who I was. I care who I am now."

"Calm down," Ulrich said, scared of his friend.

"No!" Odd shouted. "NO!" He grabbed his jacket and darted out of the room.

Ulrich sat there for a moment, playing over the scene in his mind. He knew, deep in his heart, the real Odd was gone. The new Odd was so insecure, unsure, and clueless. The old Odd would have never threw anything, or be so depressed. And he would have never forgotten about Aelita, who he had loved more then anything.

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Wet grass swished under Odd's feet. He walked quickly to the cemetery, thinking hard. There had to be something he could remember about his own past, anything. Could this girls grave really help?

Doubtful.

Odd sighed. The rain had stopped, that the sky was a smooth gray. Everything was still wet, and the cemetery was no different. The flowers that hung on some graves were drooping with drips and petals were scattered everywhere from the wind.

Odd walked down a narrow path and stopped in front of one of the grave stones. "Aelita Stones" was printed in neat letters.

"Tell me something," he said. "Anything." He knelt down and touched the cold stone of the grave, his fingers tracing the stone's engraftments until her knew them by heart.

After a long wile, he finally spoke. "Green eyes," he said. "She had green eyes."


	4. Snow

The grave of Aelita was tall, grey, and lonely. Odd and Jeremie where watching it quietly. It was December, and almost Christmas. It had been three months since Aelita Stones' funeral, and her grave was already rusting.

Jeremie had three pink roses in his hands. "It may not be Christmas colors," he explained at the floral shop. "But it is her favorite color."

In Odd's hand he held three white roses. It was the same color as her beautiful dress she was still wearing.

Jeremie had some tears in his eyes now. He softly laid the pink roses on top of the light snow.

"Last Christmas, I got her a new pink jacket," Jeremie said, sniffing. "She loved it. She wore it until March and we told her to take it off." He smiled, remembering the good times.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Odd asked. He stared at Jeremie's light blue eyes hard.

Jeremie chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "I did. Even when you two were going out, I felt jealous. But she was still my best friend, and I knew she was happier with you."

"I'm sorry," Odd said. "I must have been a jerk back then."

"No, you weren't. You were the one that held us all together. It's hard being a team, friends, and having relationships."

"But you deserved her."

Jeremie shook his head. "I never saved her."

"Do you miss Aelita now?" Odd asked. "Do you still love her?"

"I think I will, forever," Jeremie said. "But I had to let her go."

Odd felt a tear pop out from his eye. He sniffed. "I can't believed I loved her, and didn't even know her."

Jeremie nodded. "It's not your fault. You tried to save her."

Odd looked up. "Why won't you tell me what happened? My parents think I fell down some steps, but I know that's not what happened."

Jeremie stared at him for a long time. A light snow began to fall, and the cemetery lights came on. Jeremie quietly walked away.

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The next day, Christmas Day, Yumi and Jeremie were gone leavening Ulrich and Odd alone. A special feast was laid out in the cafeteria.

Odd picked at his food, but didn't eat much.

"You always had a field day on Christmas," Ulrich said. He stuffed a piece of turkey in his mouth. "You loved to eat."

"I hate eating now," Odd said. "For some stupid reason, I feel so depressed."

"Why?"

"I mean, not only does my head hurt all the time but the teachers hate me. I have failing grades, and that kid names Sissy is bugging the heck out of me. I don't remember anything."

Ulrich took a scoop of potatoes and stuffed it in his mouth. He swallowed and nodded.

"But we all still want to be your friends," he said. "Me, Jeremie, and Yumi. Even if your different, your still Odd. I know deep inside you, that thick-headed clown is still there, waiting to come out. And it will."

"But you don't know that," Odd said. "The doctor said the chances of my memory coming back are very slim."

"But I know you will remember," Ulrich said. "I have Faith in you, Odd."

Odd jammed his fork into his slice of meat. "I lost my faith in myself a long time ago," he said and stood up, leavening Ulrich alone at the table.

Ulrich sighed. He still loved Odd like a brother, but he missed the old Odd. The old Odd was never depressed, only when he was dumped or if something horrible had happened like kiwi was sick or something. But when Odd was depressed, Ulrich felt depressed too.

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The snow was still falling by the time Odd reached the cemetery. He walked slowly along to small brick road that was covered in a soft sheet of snow, leavening foot prints from his purple boots.

"Aelita Stones," Odd said. "Aelita…" his breath made a foggy mist come out and float through the air until disappearing.

Instead of going to Aelita's Grave stone, Odd walked on into a small forest. It was too quiet, and he felt as if something was watching him. But he walked on down a path, wondering where it would lead.

Odd stopped when he saw a figure a head on the trail. He wasn't sure it was anything. It could be a snowman, for all he knew. It seemed to blend in with the surroundings.

Odd made his way up the path slowly and quietly. Then he saw the figure.

The figure was a beautiful white wolf. It's coat was a glossy white, with some gray flecks in it. The eyes were the greenest he had ever seen, like the forest.

The wolf looked at him and stood up. Then a gust of wind blew, and the wolf looked up. Looking at him again, it walked away.

Odd ran ahead, but the wolf was gone.


	5. Contact

OK, some kid named Amaherst has been telling me to 'feel for all of them'. What does that mean, and is it an insult to my story or not?

OK, so review this chapter and I will update my last chapter, which I mite even give you a sneek peak at the end of this one ;) so read, and review. Five more reviews, or im not updating.

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The snow melted away, and it was March. The sun was warming up the large brick building of Kadic and people were smiling more. Ulrich was glad that soccer was here again, and Odd was glad that the art room would finally re-open. It was closed down in February because there was no heaters, and the paints froze.

Jeremie had told Odd that before the accident, he had loved to draw. Odd sketched his dog, Kiwi, sitting on his bed, and his ability to draw flooded back to him. And he was glad, because now his grades were improving which meant he had less time for tutoring and more time to fool around in the art class.

Odd visited Aelita's grave regularly, and always brought something. On valentines day he bought fourteen pink roses and left them on her grave.

It was strange. Odd thought about this every day as he walked home from the cemetery. How could he loved someone if he had never even heard her voice before? Or seen her in real person?

Odd was in the art room, finishing up a drawing he had did of the group. They were on the park bench, and they were all smiling. Jeremie was hugging his computer to his chest and was curled up on the bench. Yumi had her arm around all three of the boys. Her eyes were closed and she was laughing. Ulrich was blushing, because he was right next to Yumi.

Odd wasn't sure how to put his expression, or him. Ulrich had explained what he would have down before the incident. He would have been laughing at some stupid joke and giving Ulrich bunny ears. Odd took his word for it, and drew himself laughing and giving Ulrich bunny ears.

"Hey, that's good," Ulrich said. He was just dropping by to pick up Odd for the movies.

"Not really," Odd said.

"You're a really good drawer, Odd. Why don't you draw a picture of me?"

"If you break the mirror, Ulrich, you could rip the paper," Odd replied.

Ulrich laughed, harder then he should have. Odd noticed.

"Slow down, It's not that funny."

Ulrich was still laughing. He stopped and sniffed. Then he stared at Odd for a long time.

"For a second," he said slowly. "It seemed like the old Odd was back. For the lame joke, I mean."

Odd shrugged.

"Hey guys," Yumi said. "Me and Jer are waiting. Hey, is that a pic of us?"

Yumi made her way across the art room, dodging canvases and art tables full pf paints. She picked up the paper.

"This is good," she said. "But it's missing someone."

"Who?"

Yumi set the picture down and dug through some of Odd's old drawings. Before she could stop him, she pulled out a drawing of a beautiful pink-haired girl.

"Hey," Odd said.

"What's that doing there?" Ulrich asked.

"I was going to draw her in the picture, but I needed practice. Besides, I liked drawing her hair. It was simple."

Ulrich just smiled. "Ready to go?"

Yumi nodded, and glanced at Odd. "You don't have to come, if you don't want to. You can stay here and draw."

Odd could see the pain in her eyes. "No," he said. "I'm coming."

The three made their way out of the art room and out of the Art and Science building. They met up with Jeremie, who was by the gates.

The walked to the movie theater seemed quiet. Ulrich and Yumi talked the most, wile Odd and Jeremie stayed silent. Yumi and Ulrich could both tell what was wrong.

"Ulrich, why don't you take Jeremie and go get our seats? Odd and I can get some snacks."

Ulrich nodded and him and Jeremie went off to go find some seats.

"Hey Odd," said Yumi wile they were still in line.

"Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Aelita."  
Odd studied Yumi's face. "OK?"

"Yumi sighed. "Odd, it's been more then six months since she died. I think its time you accept it. We all miss her, Odd, but we know she would hate us if we kept morning her."

Odd suddenly grew angry, as if Yumi had been blaming him.

"I'm not," he protested. "I want to remember her, not forget her."

"I didn't say forget her, I said move on."

"Yumi," Odd said. He felt tears push at his eyes. "I don't even know her, but I feel as if I still love her."

Yumi sighed. "Odd, you have to move on…"

"I don't want to be here," Odd said and took off out of the line and out of the theater. He made his way down to the woods, and cut through to the cemetery. He avoided Aelita's lonely grave and went on into the forest.

The sun poured out through tiny gaps in the trees. It was warm, and Odd could feel his own skin tingle as the sun light touched his skin. He felt much better being here then with everyone else at the movie… he felt better alone.

Odd wandered down the path through the woods. Ever since he saw that green-eyed wolf, months ago, he hadn't returned. It was a shame, because the forest looked pretty in snow.

He made his way down the path for ten more minutes until the woods faded into a strip of high weeds and grass. Just beyond that was a big blue lake.

"Wow," Odd said. He made his way over to the lake and peered in. It was crystal clear.

"This is beautiful," he said.

Then an image of the pink-haired girl popped into his head. He hadn't been thinking about her at all, but his mind seemed to force it into his head.

The big blue lake suddenly began to spin. Odd felt his head began to fill with images of the pink-haired girl. They came non stop.

That was all he remembered before collapsing on the ground.

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Odd opened his eyes and looked around. He was floating in a misty gray place.

"What the F…" Odd was about to say, but then he saw something. A figure was covered by the mist, but he could make out a human form.

The figure turned to him, revealing it's face.

"Ae…Aelita."

The pink haired girl was holding twelve pink roses, the same Odd had given her for Christmas. She was in the beautiful white dress, holding the roses to her chest. Her green eyes locked onto his. Her first words he had heard her speak cam out from her lips. "Odd."

She began to fade away.

"Aelita!" Odd said. He tried to move towards her, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Odd!" Aelita cried desperately. She moved towards him, stretching her arm out.

Odd did the same.

Aelita dropped her roses, which faded away into the gray mist. Odd pushed his arm out as far as it would go, But Aelita was already fading away.

"Odd!"

"Aelita!"

Just before their fingertips touched, a bright like appeared and swallowed both of them up.

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Odd felt himself slam against the ground. He opened his eyes, which had been screwed shut. He looked around. He was still by the blue lake.

"Oh my god," he said. He stood up and took off for the woods. "Yumi! Jeremie! Ulrich!"

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Preview for next chapter:

"Ready, princess?" Odd asked as he took Aelita's arm. Aelita smiled.

"And off to the Winter Semi we go," she said.

"Your dress looks beautiful," Odd said. He marveled at the beautiful designs of the white dress.

"Thanks," Aelita replied. "So are you ready to go?"


	6. Death

Alright everybody, I KNOW your going to be pissed at me when I tell you this:

There is one more chapter I'm going to add! And the preview in the last chapter was in the next chapter!

NOTE TP AMAHERST

Oh, and I'm sorry Amaherst for doing that. I thought u ment I wasn't paying attention to any other characters, lol, so im SORRY!

If I don't get at least five reviews, you will NEVER know what happens too Odd

O.O

Ahh! You don't want that happening! So, read the story and review.

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"Your crazy," Ulrich said. "Did you happen to eat any old food lately? Or sniff some paint? Because it's really getting to your head."

"I'm not crazy, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday, and the smell of paint makes me sneeze. I'm telling you Ulrich, I saw her. And she was wearing the same white dress."

"You fainted, Odd."

"How do you know?"

Ulrich sighed. "Didn't Yumi talk to you?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't like I was high. I know what I saw, Ulrich."

Ulrich's light brown eyes flickered with something strange—belief. But then they hardened.

"The doctor said some things like this would happen," he said. "He said you could have some thoughts, some visions. You didn't see anything Odd. Just your mind."

Odd shook his head, and sighed. Then he made his way out of the dorm room. "I'm drawing," he said and left.

Ulrich's cell phone jingled.

"Hello?"

"Is Odd okay?"

"You here his crazy story on Aelita? Weird!"

"Not really. Come to the factory ASAP. Jeremie's got some facts."

Ulrich nodded and hung up.

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The warm damp smell of the factory made Yumi's heart feel heavy. She leaned up against the back of Jeremie's chair, thinking of all the times Aelita had been leaning over the key board, telling Jeremie all about Lyoko.

The elevator doors opened, reveling Ulrich. He steadily made his way across the room and stopped at the supercomputer.

"Tell me Odd isn't crazy," Ulrich said.

"He's not," Jeremie said. He stroked his chin and squinted his eyes, hard. He stared at the screen.

"Then why—"

"Aelita's still linked to Lyoko," Jeremie said slowly. "When she died, apparently, she can't go anywhere—like to heaven or hell, if there is one. She's stuck in between. But, because she is, she can make contact with people in this world which is what she did for Odd."

"But she's unlinked to XANA—"

"She may have been, Ulrich. But she is the key to Lyoko, and she will always be a part of it. Always."

"But XANA's gone."

"I didn't say she was linked to XANA. I said she was linked to Lyoko."

Yumi bit her thumb nail. This was something she had done since she was a little kid. Either it meant she was nervous or thinking hard. In this case, she was thinking hard.

"What if we deactivated Lyoko?" she asked.

Jeremie shook his head. "She would disappear, forever."

"But Jeremie, how can we unlink Aelita to the system?"

Jeremie shrugged. "I'm still trying to find out myself."

"Should we tell Odd?" Ulrich asked.

"No," Jeremie said. "That might make him feel worse."

"Don't you think we should tell him?" Yumi said angrily. "Tell him how Aelita really died and how he got a concussion."

"The doctor said if you tell him to fast, he's go crazy because he'd you know….be too overwhelmed."

Yumi shook her head. "We haven't told him anything. Maybe the truth is what he needs."

Yumi felt tears come to her eyes and brushed them away quickly. She then put on her brave slash angry face and stared at the two boys.

"He's scared," she said. And she turned and made her way back to the elevator.

"I think it's time Odd should know," Jeremie said.

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Odd's pencil slided across the page. He was starting out with odd shapes, seeing what he could make in the end.

"I need some alone time," he said to himself quietly and put down the pencil. Inez, the art teacher, let the students keep there projects inside the classroom at all times because they weren't aloud to keep paint in their dorms. Inez didn't mind, because she came in often to see how many people actually used the art room.

Odd made his was past the cemetery and into the woods. He was on his way to the pond, once more.

The sunlight drifted through the trees as he made his way down the path. He thought about Aelita more then he had this morning. It was as if the images were being forced into him mind.

The pond finally came into view.

Odd walked up to it and leaned down, smoothing his hand over the silky water. And image of Aelita in a casket seemed to push it's way into his thoughts.

He shook his head. "Get out of there," he said and rubbed his head.

Suddenly a sharp pain erupted in his head. "AHH!" Odd shouted and grabbed his head. It felt like it would split open at any moment.

"Urr…Uh…."

"Watch out!" someone shouted. Was it a boy or a girl? It sounded like both.

Images of Aelita filled Odd's head.

Something hard slammed into his skull, causing him to fall to the ground. And he lay there, motionless.

He stopped breathing.

And his heart stopped working.

Odd Della-Robbia was dead.

But then something happened. Between space and time, everything stopped. The wind didn't blow, water didn't move, and no human spoke.

The world, our universe, was still.

Something happened.

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REVIEW!


	7. Revelation

Odd opened his eyes. And looked around. His head was ringing, and he felt tired. He was in a hazy mist, the same he had been when he had seen Aelita before.

Aelita…

There she was.

"Odd," she said. She was holding the roses and was in the white dress. Her face wash washed over in fear.

"Aelita," he said. "Am I dead?

"No. And I will give you back your memories," she said. "But I must give up my existence to do so."

"What?" Odd said. "Aelita—why?"

"You see, Odd. I am still linked to XANA. I always will be. But I am different, for I can choose when to give up my existence or not. And if I give you back your memories, i want you to deactivate XANA. Even if I will give up my existence."

"No," Odd said.

Aelita felt tears in her eyes. "I am nobody, Odd. I am a ghost to this world. And the longer XANA is here, the more of a chance you have of being destroyed."

"But you aren't nobody—you're somebody. You will always be to me."

Aelita nodded, and smiled through her tears. "I wish I could kiss you now," she said, giggling. She wiped her eyes.

"Me too," Odd said. But she was untouchable. She was transparent, so he would go right through her.

Aelita held out her hand. "It's time."

Odd held out his hand next to hers. He felt tears come to his eyes.

"I love you," Aelita said. But before Odd could reply, a bright light swallowed him up.

He could feel himself moving—flying, almost.

_I love you, Aelita, _he thought. _I always will. _

………………………………………Memory…………………………………………..

Odd stood nervously in front of the dorm, biting his lip and smoothing his hair. He glanced around the dorm halls, making sure no one was there. He cleared his throat, and adjusted the pink roses in his hands.

"Hey, Odd," Aelita said, opening the door. "I thought you'd never come."

Odd laughed. "Ready princess?"

"And of to the Winter Semi we go," Aelita replied, smiling.

"Your white dress looks beautiful." Odd marveled at the beautiful designs on the white dress.

"Thanks," Aelita replied. "So are we ready to go?"

"You bet," Odd replied and the two linked arms and made their way down the hall.

"Well guys, this is too us," Jeremie said, smiling. His arm was placed around Bell, a new girl from China, who had agreed to be his date. "We finally deleted XANA, and we're all free."

"To us," the gang recited.

"What's XANA?" Bell asked, puzzled.

"And inside joke, Bell," Jeremie said. "I'll tell you later."

Bell smiled and nodded.

A slow song began to play, and Odd stood up.

"Well princes, can I have this dance?"

Aelita giggled and smiled. "Yes, sir Odd."

Odd smiled as Aelita slipped into his arms. The two began to sway softly as the music drifted on.

"You know," Aelita whispered in Odd's ear. "I think we should go outside. Did you see how snowy it was?"

"Yes," Odd replied, smiling. "We can sneak out the back way."

Aelita nodded. The breath from his lips was sneaking on her back, giving her a slight shiver.

When the song was over, the couple scanned the dance floor to make sure Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie, and Bell were out of the way. Then they slipped quietly into one of the rooms. There was the back door, with a bunch of windows lining the wall. It was like a sunroom, but there was no sun.

"Oh Odd," Aelita said. She twirled around, her dress floating up and gracefully landing back down. "I love it here."

Odd smiled.

Aelita walked over and leaned against the door, staring out. "I haven't had a good Christmas since—when I was little."

"What about last Christmas?"

Aelita shrugged. "Sissy put jell-o in my soup."

Odd laughed. "But we took that picture of her and Herb under the mistletoe!"

Aelita laughed and turned back too Odd. "You can always make me laugh, Odd."

Odd smiled and stepped close to her. "You can always make me smile."

Odd wrapped his arms around her and she leaned close to him.

"I love you…" he said.

Aelita suddenly jerked away from him.

"Watch out!"

A burst of glass smashed Odd in the face and he flew back, slamming against the wall. He opened his eyes, seeing two krabs.

They both went into the party room and the students begin to scream.

"Aelita!" Odd shouted. "Where are you?"

"H—here, Odd."

Odd scanned to floor to see the pink haired girl sprawled on the floor, clutching her stomach.

Odd got up and darted over to her. "Oh my god," he said. She was covered in blood.

"I'm fine," she said. "It doesn't hurt."

"I don't care," Odd said. He picked her head up.

"It doesn't hurt," Aelita repeated. "I'm in no pain."

"I have to go help the others," he said. "I'll be right there."

Aelita looked away from him and up at the ceiling. In her eyes, Odd could see the light dying.

"I'll wait for you."

Odd was surprised. "Huh?" he said.

Something grabbed him from behind and smashed him against the wall. Then whacked him in the head, hard.

The world was fading. Aelita's words hung in his head. "I'll wait for you."

For the second, the room was quiet. Odd could feel the darkness seep into him. He felt like he could sleep forever.

Odd crawled his way to Aelita. She was on the floor, smiling. She took his hand.

"Remember," she said in a dream-like voice. "Remember…I will never fade…"

The krab grabbed her leg and began to drag her away.

"I'll never let go…" Odd said, choking. "Never…"

Aelita let go of his hand.

"Aelita…" Odd whispered before letting his head fall on the floor in defeat. He looked up once more and saw the girl he loved being dragged away, leavening a blood-trail in the soft winter snow.

……………………………………………..End…………………………………………..

Odd opened his eyes and sat up. His head hurt like crazy.

"Are you OK?" someone asked. Odd turned to see a man in his forties with a boy that looked about five beside him.

"Sorry, mister," the boy said. "I didn't catch it."

"Huh?" Odd asked. Then he noticed the baseball beside him

Then, he looked at the boys face. Suddenly, it changed. Right before his eyes.

The hair turned pink and grew to his shoulders. His blue eyes turned green. And then Odd realized that it was true. It was all true.

"I remember," Odd whispered. The boy's face was now back to normal.

"Excuse me?" the man asked.

Odd sprung up. "I REMEMBER!" he shouted, and he began laughing. And then he ran.

He ran through the woods and to the cemetery. He hugged Aelita Stone's grave stone.

"Oh, Aelita," he said, tears falling down his face. "How could I forget? How could I _ever _forget? I love you. And I never will stop. I will love you forever, Aelita." Odd wiped his eyes. "I remember."

------------------------------------------------------------------------ br 

"I can't do it," Yumi said. She buried her face in Ulrich's shoulder, sobbing. Ulrich nodded, feeling tears coming down his face too.

"She'll be gone," Ulrich said. He sniffed. "Forever."

Jeremie didn't say anything. Tears slid down his face also.

Odd was the only one that did not cry.

They four were standing in front of XANA's main power source.

"I can't watch," Yumi said.

"Odd, I think you should do it," Jeremie said.

"No," Odd shouted, causing the three to jump. He turned to his friends.

"We fought him hard. We didn't give up. We put up with him for three years. And there is nothing that is going to get in the way of us stopping him right now. And we do this together. We came into this mess as four, and we come out as four."

The three stared at him, but nodded.

They all put their hands on the lever and pulled it down.

**THE END…or is it? **

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- br 

I'm SOO sorry it took so long to update! I didn't know what to write for a wile. Anyway, I'm thinking about putting an epilog in there. If any one wants it, review and tell me. And review for this story, too. I hope you all enjoyed it!


	8. A Place in the Stars

A girl with Asian eyes and black hair stands in the doorway of a funeral home. She taps her foot and glances back at the entrance doors, sighing. She turns back to the room where the casket is, along with the family of the person that has died.

Her name is Yumi, and she is now seventeen.

The entrance door squeaks open loudly, and Yumi puts on her furious face as a brunette boy and blond boy with glasses make their way in.

"You're late," she hissed. "Almost an hour!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," the brunette said.

"Ulrich, don't tell me. Tell his parents!" Yumi said, pointing to the man with a bunch of old relatives surrounding him. His mother was on the other side of the room, with just as many people surrounding her. His parents were obviously divorced.

The blond boy, named Jeremie, was already kneeling in front of the casket. A tear slides down his face, but no more. He stands up and silently makes his way over to the pew.

An hour later, the group is standing in front of the casket. As everyone cries, only three children so not. They are silent, not responding to anything around them.

"May he rest in peace," the priest says.

As people start making their way to their cars, the only people left are the three children: Yumi Ishyama, Jeremie Belpois, and Ulrich Stern.

The snow is already white, but more flakes begin falling. Ulrich kneels down to read the grave stone from up close: Odd Della-Robbia.

Yumi looks up at the sky. "Beautiful," she says.

"Remember that one time Odd promised Aelita he would take her to a theme park?" Jeremie said. "I feel bad. He never got too."

"Yeah," Ulrich agreed, tracing the enravement of his name. He stands up. "But I know if he's somewhere happy, she's there."

The two others nods in agreement.

The three stood their until the snowing stopped and the clouds cleared, giving them a view of the open sky. It was night, so there were thousands of stars that dotted the sky.

"Let's go," Yumi said. "It's getting late."

The three crunched their way through the snow.

Yumi, who was in the middle, put her arms around both of them. "We're going to be OK," she whispered. "I know we are."

Ulrich nods and puts his arm around her. Jeremie smiles and does the same.

The three, who are linked together, make their way through the soft snow with the stars lighting their every step.

----------------------------------------------------------------- br 

"I told you I'd win you something," Ulrich said, smiling. He thrust the fish doll at Yumi proudly.

Yumi kissed him on the cheek. "You sure did," she said smiling. \

Jeremie laughed. "Should I leave you two love birds alone?"

"No way, Jer," Ulrich said. "This is a whole group trip to the theme park. Not just me and Yumi's. Now who wants to ride the Phoenix?"

Jeremie shook his head. "Count me out. I don't want ride that thing in the day, and especially not at night."

"Look Jeremie, there's Sissy! I'm sure you can ride it with her…"

"NO!" Jeremie shouted "I'm going to get some pop corn. Bell said she's meet me at the ferries wheel at nine anyway, and its eight forty five. So I'll see you guys then."

Ulrich and Yumi both nodded and stood in line to go to the phoenix.

Just then, Yumi spotted some one. A girl, who looked about fourteen or fifteen. She had strait pink hair that went down to her shoulders and was wearing a simple white dress. (A/N: no, not the one she died in). Her eyes were a beautiful green. Next to her stood a boy with spiky blond hair. He was wearing a whit t-shirt and blue jeans.

They were holding hands.

The pink haired girl looked up and smiled at Yumi.

Yumi was too shocked to smile back. Could it be Aelita and Odd she was looking at?

The boy turned and winked at her. And then, they stepped in the very last car on the roller coaster.

"Wait!" Yumi shouted, but the coaster started and the two were going up.

"I think I should sit down," Yumi said to Ulrich. "I'm not feeling well."

"Huh? Oh, OK," Ulrich said and lead her to a bench.

"Did you see the couple that was in the very back of the roller coaster?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah. The girl with the pink hair, right? But some fat guy was in the way, so I didn't get a good look at her. Anyway, what about her?"

"She—" Yumi stopped. "I'll show you," she said and stood up, grabbing Ulrich hand. Then she lead him to the front of the line, ignoring the angry shouts behind her. But as the roller coaster came back, there was no one in the back seat. That got Yumi worried.

"Sir," Yumi asked the assistant. "Wasn't their a some people in the last car? I'm afraid something happened to him."

The assistant looked puzzled. "Ma'am, there was no one in the last car."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The two pushed their way back through the crowd.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Yumi said, leaning back against the bench.

"It was nothing, Ok?" Ulrich said. "You may have ate too many fries."

"You're right," Yumi said, laughing. "I probably did."

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

But in one of the clouds hovering over the theme park, two angles sat. One had pink hair and green eyes, and the other had blond hair and blue eyes. They both were holding hands and looking at the city.

"Ready?" the boy asked.

"Ready," the girl said.

They were still holding hands as they flew up, not stopping. They flew towards the stars.

The two angels had finally found a place of their own.

**THE END **

………………………………………………………………

Personally, this WAS a random story I decided to write. I wanted to write something romantic, but dark at the same time. I was surprised at how many people liked this.

Thank you so much for all of your reviews! You don't know how much it means to me that people took their time and reviewed! Thank you so much!


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